Two Policy Shifts towards Animal Testing in China’s Cosmetic Sector

China has started its cosmetic regulatory reform since the finalization of the overarching regulation- Cosmetic Supervision and Administration Regulation (CSAR) on June 29, 2020, and is releasing a series of subsidiary regulations to improve its new cosmetic regulation framework.

Starting from the initiation of the cosmetic regulatory reform, whether China will soften its stance on animal testing under the new cosmetic regulatory framework has been the most concerned topic in the industry. Encouragingly, two draft subsidiary regulations of CSAR released on August 28 (Instructions for Cosmetic Registration and Notification Dossiers and Instructions for New Cosmetic Ingredient Registration and Notification Dossiers) introduce 2 policy shifts towards animal testing management in China.

Policy shift 1: Imported general cosmetics can be exempted from animal testing

According to the draft Instructions for Cosmetic Registration and Notification Dossiers, companies can apply for exemption of animal testing for imported general cosmetics if they fulfill the following conditions:

• The manufacturers have obtained the relevant certification of GMP issued by the cosmetic regulatory authority of the country (region) where they are located.

• The safety assessment results can fully confirm the safety of products.